Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Finance the amount spent by the Revenue Commissioners on interpreters for each of the past five years to date in 2012; the top four languages in each of these years for which interpreters were used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22925/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the amount spent on interpreters for each of the past five years to date in 2012 is shown in table A; the top four languages in each of these years for which interpreters were used is shown in table B.

Table A

Table B

The use of interpreters is occasionally required by front-line Revenue staff at airports and ports, for example in tackling smuggling, especially drugs and tobacco. It is essential that passengers with insufficient Irish or English, who are interviewed in relation to potential tax, duty or other offences that could lead to prosecution, understand the questions and their answers are correctly interpreted.